Moscow and Prague to implement “parity representation” at embassies by May 31

Moscow and Prague will reduce the number of embassy staff at their respective representations to 7 diplomats, 25 administrative and technical workers and 19 local support staff by May 31, the TASS news agency said on Friday citing the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Moscow nodded to a parity representation on Thursday, following a tit-for-tat expulsion of diplomats triggered by a diplomatic row over the Czech claim that Russian intelligence agents were behind a series of deadly blasts at a munitions depot in Moravia in 2014.

The agreement means that Moscow will have to send home 63 embassy staff by the end of May.